In a Tuesday public meeting thanks to Easter Monday, Medicine Hat's city council is expected to address several issues, including urban hens, property taxes and vibrancy grants.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com
City council has a full agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting, with action expected on the question of urban hens, a discussion about commercial rate reclassification schemes and the expected property tax increase.
Urban hens
On Tuesday, city staff will provide a presentation on urban hens.
The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting suggests council direct administration to prepare a comprehensive bylaw for the regulation of urban hens in Medicine Hat based on best practices and community feedback.
City staff provided councillors with three options to move forward with an urban hen project at a council meeting in March.
Property tax increase
This year’s property tax assessment roll includes new approved tax rates which result in a 6.1 per cent increase for the median taxpayer.
Council is required to pass a property tax bylaw annually which authorizes it to impose a tax on property in the city. This year, the property tax bylaw will be combined with the supplementary property tax rate bylaw to simplify council’s approval process.
The bylaw will be subject to its first reading on Tuesday. Should it pass, it will receive second and third readings at the next council meeting.
The 2026 municipal services budget requires $99,882,165 in tax revenue.
Rate class, meters
Tuesday’s meeting will also include the resolution of an ongoing discussion about utility rate reclassification structures.
Last summer, council received an update in which a plan was proposed that would introduce a longer grace period and proactive customer communication for businesses whose power usage hovers around the threshold separating small commercial classification from medium commercial classification.
Some business owners have complained that a business occasionally exceeding the threshold for the small commercial rate has resulted in reclassification as medium commercial, resulting in additional costs.
The recommendation going into Tuesday’s meeting is that council approves an option to maintain existing electric utility rate design “with supplementary enhancements.”
Community Vibrancy
Council will also approve distribution of the 2026 Community Vibrancy Grants.
Community services, non-profits and clubs are eligible to apply for funding through the community vibrancy grant program. Last year, a dozen local groups received more than $100,000 through the program.
Other items:
– rezoning of the former Riverside School site;
– extension of timeline for the development of a new policy for non-standard crosswalks, and possibly an expansion of the scope of this policy to include other commemoration.
